Located in Guernsey County in southeastern Ohio, the Salt Fork Wildlife Area state park has 12,000 acres of public land surrounding a 2,952 acre lake. Whitetail deer and eastern wild turkeys can be found throughout the park area. Hunting deer and turkey is allowed in specified areas of the park. There is a beautiful lodge on a hill overlooking the park and cabins situated on the shore of the lake. If you like beautiful scenery and comfortable lodging, Salt Fork may be the best public hunting land location in the state. If you want an economical hunting trip, there are some camping grounds along the edge of the park. You must get a permit to camp in them. Hunting in Salt Fork Wildlife Area is allowed in designated areas and hunting pressure can be high during deer gun season. If you are looking for a big trophy deer, you may want to consider bow hunting during early October before the deer get too afraid of humans in the woods. If bow hunting is not your thing, you could try muzzleloader hunting while the deer are still uneducated to guns. Salt Fork has traditionally been part of the early muzzleloader hunt in late October of each year. If your preference for hunting deer is with a shotgun, the first few days of the deer gun season are best before some of the deer are pushed into the no hunting areas. In either case, arriving a few days early to scout out the area looking for fresh deer sign is a good idea. Bring a camera with you on your hunt, who knows you may get a glimpse of the “Grassman”, a type of Bigfoot that some people claim to have seen in that area. The Ohio DNR provides information online about Salt Fork State Park Resources.